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Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS in Zagreb: A district level analysis

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Abstract

This study examines the presence of hepatitis B as a possible precursor marker for HIV/AIDS in 10 districts of Zagreb, Croatia. There were a total of 931 cases of hepatitis B in Zagreb in the period 1979–1995, the annual rate ranging from 3.1 to 15.4 per 10,000. The highest relative risk for hepatitis B for the 1979–1995 period was in the Pescenica district (Relative risk (RR): 1.4). There were 108 cases of HIV/AIDS diagnosed in Croatia in the period 1986–1996, with 34% from Zagreb. The highest relative risk for HIV/AIDS was within the Pescenica district (RR: 2.3). Pescenica had also a significantly higher incidence of hepatitis B when compared to other districts (p = 0.005). The cumulative incidence of hepatitis B in Zagreb was directly related to levels of neighborhood discomfort as determined by an index including unemployment, inflation and housing conditions (p = 0.005). This research demonstrates that the poor areas of the city with higher incidence of hepatitis B hold the greatest threat for the spread of HIV/AIDS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Promotion and Kinesiology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, NC, USA

    Gerald F. Pyle

  2. Medical School Andrija Stampar School of Public Health, University of Zagreb, Croatia

    Stjepan Oreskovic

  3. Fran Mihaljevic Hospital for Infectious Diseases, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Josip Begovac

  4. Department of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, NC, USA

    Carolyn Thompson

Authors
  1. Gerald F. Pyle
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  2. Stjepan Oreskovic
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  3. Josip Begovac
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  4. Carolyn Thompson
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Pyle, G.F., Oreskovic, S., Begovac, J. et al. Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS in Zagreb: A district level analysis. Eur J Epidemiol 16, 927–936 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011010602831

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